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Creating then and now.

It’s Sept. 2….a fabulous Labor Day weekend begins. The rush of setting up and organizing the first few days is over..now to continue procedures, procedures, procedures and the act of teaching the standards. It’s time to fill in the portfolios with goals, look ahead at the map, choose ways to achieve these goals, and take every students’ picture. (More about that in the next blog) and get those project materials ready…

Last night one of my former students called from PA. Her son was beginning 3rd grade the next day (yes I know, I’m old) and she said it brought back a flood of memories of her favorite, most memorable year. (Tears are allowed now). I asked what she remembered the most and what set that year apart.
What did she hope that her son would also experience in 2016-2017?

“The projects, of course,” she answered. Be still my heart. I love validation. But she went on….
“Everything we created, I retained. I remember being awed by the materials we used, the way everyone’s projects looked different, and how I couldn’t wait to go to school the next day. Whether we were learning about the history of the city, the city leaders-created characters, or the math notebooks we kept full of projects, we were always creating. Through this I have a love of reading, writing, and science. I hope my son has this…..”

When we hung up I felt so happy. Not only had I reached this student, but Cindy and I ( and believe me she has even more stories ) have created a way to continue being the kind of teachers that students remember, and happily they remember how they learned…

Teaching “hands-on” and, of course, incorporating that important rigor of today can be combined to make all teachers memorable, validated, and happy….Make skills retainable, and students accountable. Give it a try, the Bag Ladies way.